Today's News

Anderson County Farm Bureau received Kentucky Farm Bureau’s 2011 Gold Star Award of Excellence during the agency’s annual meeting in Louisville earlier this month.
The award honors county women’s committees for active participation in leadership development programs, agricultural promotion, educational initiatives and numerous other aspects of support to the local Farm Bureau, according to a news release.

A Lawrenceburg man was found dead in his Main Street apartment Sunday morning, and authorities are investigating the cause of his death.
Brad Larison, 35, was pronounced dead at 9:50 a.m. in his apartment, located at 105 S. Main St., according to Anderson County Coroner Mark Tussey.
His body was found in his bed, Tussey said.
An autopsy was scheduled for Monday morning at the medical examiner’s office, the results of which were not available at press time.
Tussey said the results of toxicology tests would not be available for several weeks.

A free community Christmas meal will be offered Dec. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Open Hands Food Pantry, the agency announced.
Transportation is available for those who need it.
For more information, contact June Byrne at 502-604-1255, Doug Haddix at 502-598-9297 or Charlie Blacketer at 502-598-1118.
Open Hands pantry is located at 1111 Industrial Road in Lawrenceburg.

By Meaghan Downs
and Ben Carlson
Staff writers
Many Dairy Cheer employees received bounced paychecks instead of Christmas bonuses this holiday season, and may need to fundraise to cover weeks of uncompensated work.
Owner Lou Compton, who opened Dairy Cheer’s doors about six weeks ago, allegedly owes thousands of dollars of overdue pay for her Dairy Cheer employees, and closed the restaurant over the weekend without warning or explanation.

Anderson County’s embattled health director Brandon Hurley won the Kentucky Health Department Association’s “Trailblazer Award,” the agency confirmed Monday.
Hurley, who serves as the association’s vice president, won the award during its meeting last Tuesday and received a plaque for his efforts.
The award is given annually to “honor a creative and innovative public health director [who] has demonstrated great leadership skills,” according to criteria provided by the association.

The Lawrenceburg man whose child who was among six children removed from a Harrodsburg home earlier this month is seeking help in gaining permanent custody of his son.
Mike Harrod’s son, 13, had just stepped off a Mercer County school bus Dec. 2 when he was placed in a car and taken to a local social services office.

Suicide rates typically increase around the holiday season, and Anderson County Coroner Mark Tussey wants people here to know that help is available should they feel lonely or depressed.
“The Christmas and New Year holiday season is a time of great joy for our community. However, many individuals become depressed around this time of year for various reasons such as financial difficulties or feelings of isolation from their family,” Tussey said in a news release.

Local health nurse Amanda Blair has been named the Anderson County Health Department’s employee of the year, the agency announced in a news release.
She was recognized for what health director Brandon Hurley said was her outstanding performance and dedication to the agency.
“Amanda is compassionate, hardworking, a team player and truly dedicated to the mission of the health department,” said Hurley.